10 Exercises to ton your legs, thighs, & that behind!

I cannot even tell you how many times I've had someone ask me how to tone their legs, thighs, and butt. (ow, owww!) So, this is for people that want to do something 'hands-free', at home, and don't have weights.

These 10 exercises will have you feeling like your legs don't exist anymore:

1.) Warrior III

     

     Yoga is one of the most effective ways to build strength and tone not only your body, but your inner-self. Warrior III is a great pose that people can use to tone their body.

How to: Stand with the feet together, and lift up the left leg with a pointed toe, putting your body weight onto the standing, right leg. Continue to lift your leg and drop the head and torso so they form a straight horizontal line from head to toe with the arms at your sides. Engage your core and make sure the left thigh, hip, and toes are aligned. Remain facing down and keep your back as straight as possible. Ensure your right knee doesn't lock and center the weight on the middle of the foot. Hold for 5 breaths and then slowly return to standing. 

2.) Chair Squat

     This move is perfect for beginners, so anyone can do it! Plus, it's prize-winningly, simple.

How to: Begin standing with your back to a chair, feet hip-width apart. While keeping your weight centered on your heels, draw in your abs and hinge forward at the hips slowly lowering your butt toward the chair. Pause right before you would sit down and return to standing while keeping the core engaged. 

Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

3.) Pivoting Curtsy Lunge

     This one is kind of tough to get form at first, but it will make you burn...

How to: Standing with feet hip-width apart, step your right foot diagonally behind you and into a 7 o'clock position. Bend both knees so you're in a lunge stance. Lean your torso forward 30 degrees and pulse up and town 10-15 times. Straighten the body and pivot 180 degrees so your right foot comes to the front. Again, lower into a lunge.

Pulse up and down 10-15 times on each side to complete one set; do 3 sets.

4.) Low Hunge Over

     This works both your legs and butt.

How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart before stepping your right foot back, and lowering into lunge stance with the left knee over the ankle. Bring your arms over your head and hinge forward from the waist. Lower the chest forward toward the thighs as your arms reach forward. Lift the right leg while straightening the left. Hold for 3 breaths before returning to the starting lunge position.

Do 3 reps; switch legs and repeat.

5.) The Lean

     You'll feel like you're flying like an airplane with this move. It feels childish & enjoyable.

How to: Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and the arms down at your sides. Take a step diagonally back with the right foot. Then, bend sideways from the waist toward the side where your right leg is stretched out, and reach your right arm up and left arm down and back toward your right calf. Return arms to starting position to complete 1 rep.

Do 10 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

6.) Leg Lifts

  

     This exercise to target your quads.

How to: While you stand facing a chair, raise your right leg, knee facing up, foot flexed and place your heel on the seat. Make sure not to lock your standing knee as you lift your right foot off the chair and straighten it out until you feel your quadriceps engage. Keeping your lifted leg in the air, bend the leg on the floor slightly and then straighten it again.

Do 10-15 reps, then switch sides and repeat for 1 full set; do 3 sets.

7.) Two-Thirds Jump Squat

     Ready to use your quads and hamstrings?

How to: Begin by standing with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at the sides. Lower the body into a squat, going two-thirds of the way down. Immediately jump straight up with your arms pointed up toward the ceiling. When you land, go right back into the next rep.

Do 3 sets of 20 reps each

8.) The V-Position

     I know what you're thinking (as a guy), this is a girly ballet move! You ever notice they have the strongest legs?...

How to: Stand holding the back of a chair with one hand. Place your feet in a V position, toes should be about 4 inches apart and heels stay pressed together. Bend your knees and lift the heels a few inches off the floor. Then, lower your hips until you feel your quads intensely working. Pulse up and down.

10-15 pulses up and down completes 1 set; do 3 sets.

9.) Lateral Lunge Side-Kick

     This move reminds me of Zumba, which is incredibly fun. It's also pretty challenging for some people.

How to: Stand with feet together, arms at the sides and with 5-to 10-pound dumbbells in each hand. Step the right foot out to the side and bend the left knee at a 90-degree angle to come into a side lunge. Push into your left foot and come to standing with the knees slightly bent. Immediately kick the left foot strongly out to the side (make sure it stays flexed). Return to starting position. 

Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps and repeat on the opposite side.

10.) Hip bridge

     This move is a modified bridge that will target the glutes in your butt.

How to: Lie on your back with knees bent and facing up. Plant your heels into the floor and lift the toes toward the shins. Raise the buttocks off the ground until your back forms a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. Hold for 1 second before lowering down.

Repeat for 15 reps.

These exercises will have you hurting and toning in no time.

Also, I know that all these exercises have women doing them; 

that doesn't mean that you can't do them if you're a guy.

Don't be a sexist jerk.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

P.S - If you want even more, then there are 8 more where I found these! Happy toning!

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20725746,00.html

Never got a SINGLE cold this year!!

If you know me, even just a little bit, you are very aware of the fact that I can't stand the season of winter, the disastrous colds that can be obtained, & the exponentially scary driving conditions that we have to commute through.

     I am beyond euphoric to report that I did not acquire a single cold this year. Can you believe it?!

Because I sure as hell can't! I hate colds and the cold with every burning ounce of energy inside me. I mean that quite literally. I hate the stuffy nose, the red & rashed nose, the loss of your sense of taste, the extreme drowsiness, & the beyond feeling of death. 

     Every year, it's a constant and nerve-racking battle between I and 'Old Man Winter'. I will do anything not to get sick during this time; as school, work, homework, and Fraternity Life are at their fullest. Sickness prevents me from doing things, more than procrastination and laziness combined. 

     With each year that goes by, my knowledge of Nutrition and how to extra precaution of myself during these times of bereavement and anguish. This year, I might have devised a plan that might just be the thing everyone needs to survive without a cold.

• Drink a glass (literally one glass) of Orange Juice every morning
• Drink more water than you probably normally do; drink more and more each day
• Make your daily routine so that you have at least 7 hours if not more of sleep
• Exercising does wonders! Even if it's little things. it de-stresses your body!
• Avoid the fast food (especially fast food!), and start converting to the produce section
• Don't worry about the little things in life; smile - everything will be okay
• Be organized, so the unexpected won't inconvenience you

     The orange juice will kick start, and prepare a defense for your body right off the back with that magical Vitamin C. During sleep, your body rests from the day, but it also repairs tissues, and bones too, & prepares your body for what's to come next the next day. The processed foods you eat from fast food chains ruins everything your body tries to defend against, and prevent sit from doing anything to help your systems. Whilst on the other hand, nutrients from the produce section speed things up and refreshes your body from the terrible processed foods - Give your body a break! Speaking of stress, stress can be the fastest thing to break your body down. Stress effects us more than you may think; emotionally, physically, & mentally. Being happy and smiling, releases endorphins, which are hormones, that are the 'happy' hormone. The less stress in your life, the happier you shall be as a result. Lastly, if you're organized and know what's going to happen next, you won't be surprised with the unexpected. This way, you won't be stressed over life, and will have that sense of security.

Use and tweak this recipe to how you like, and what fits your life.

I hope this treats you well.

I felt like I should share this ground-breaking information with anyone who wishes to know it.

May the health be ever in your favah.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Back On The Grind & Trying A New Workout

Alright, so, a thought had occurred to me over the past few days, with my new found boredom:

I hadn't done an abs workout IN MONTHS. 

This was a drastic problem.

     Now, usually, I do the ab workout from Insanity, of which I absolutely love, really just the program in general. However, I've been doing this workout for a very long period of time now, so I'm used to it, and it's pretty easy for me now. I've tried other workouts, but alas, I was at a loss for what to try next. I needed something I hadn't done before and something new.

     I was lucky enough to be following this "Fitness Motivation" account on Twitter, and they posted this 'abs of steel' workout. That settled it. I tried it and I will tell you what I think of it.

The Process

     The picture to the right is the workout itself. You're given three exercises and three rows of different ones. You do 4 sets for the first row, 6 sets for the second, and 8 for the last. It's good that each row has different exercises, but over a while, it seems like there's just too many sets; it gets repetitive and boring - I'm not about that life. The exercises are pretty short, so I did them right after another, not really needing a break. I did two sets of each, and eventually eliminated each row.

The Results

     I did the process of what I stated above, and after a while, yes I was getting bored, but my body was shaking too. Not from the burn, but more like from your muscles not being able to contract; like, from getting too tired. I don't know if that makes sense, as much as I think it does. I'll admit, I was sweating, just a little though. I never ever sweat from my workouts, unless it has to do with cardio; my body recovers too quick for everything else. I can kind of 'feel it', but not the feeling that I want. I like the burning feeling, because it makes me feel like I did a good job. Motto of a good workout right?

Aftermath

     Now, thinking about the workout; this one is not for me. It was too repetitive, maybe there were too many exercises, perhaps? Who knows. I didn't get the right feeling I wanted either, and that's important to me. The important thing here, is that I finally started my ab workouts again, and I'm back on the grind. I also made a healthy, protein packed meal afterwards too. It was a multi whole-grain bread, with diced green peppers, with olive oil butter, spices, and an egg. It's always a good feeling to know that you're eating so nutrient packed. 

Try new things, reflect on them, and make adjustments in the future. 

Push yourself to get back on the grind, and push your own self-motivation. 

Take it as far as you can go, and you will feel so upbeat that you did.

R.I.P to the two pieces of green pepper that fell on the floor, your nutrients will surely be missed.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Do you really want that?...

Okay, so imagine this...

You're to that point where you're eating great, no bad stuff, and you're even physically active like a good, healthy, human being. Then comes a wild Hungry Howie's Pizza - and you can even eat some for free! Ohhhh, the choices!!

     At this point, there are a few factors knocking at your front door, including, but not limited to:

• The sweet taste of temptation 
• The future condition of your intestinal system being that of a semi hitting it
• Ruining your healthy streak in one cheese-crusted, processed bite
• The internal moral dilemma of setting an example for those around you
• The overall failed & crushed feeling of failing to everyone else that you couldn't stay strong
• The fact that you haven't had something that "great" tasting in what feels like an eternity

     The fact of the matter is, you know that this one piece, which also may turn into 2,3,4,or 5 pieces, is going to put yourself into a train-wreck of emotional shambles, imprisoned on temptation island, shackled by the chains of failure that's tied to the wall of disappointment. Yes, I'm aware that the aroma of fresh pizza is almost as enticing as eternal life, but how about the after processes of misery? This is honestly, the true test of internal strength that you embody. Resist this immense temptation and you will feel so rewarded and accomplished instantly! Once you resist something a
s big as that mountain, resisting these processed treats will get exponentially easier in the future. Test yourself, but don't ever fail yourself. If you put all this effort into your healthy schedule already, why would you throw it all away, and start over in 3 seconds?? Think about it, it doesn't make sense does it?

     Besides, there plenty of other things that are sweet and better for you. Not only will you feel better, but your body will too. What did cavemen eat for sweets way back in the day?... doughnuts? Nope, try again. They ate what grew, berries, sweeter vegetables, etc. They didn't have processed garbage like we do -how lucky were they?!

It all really comes down to being true to yourself. If you turn the other cheek, the only person you're failing is yourself. You can't lie to yourself, and why would you? Be strong and put in the effort, and you'll see the benefits & results you're looking for. Period.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

The Joys of Lucky Bamboo

     As of a April 16th, I've acquired "Lucky Bamboo" from a student organization event on my campus. Sounds exotic doesn't it? It also sounds gimmicky though, which is a little depressing to my soul. Sadly, these types of serendipitous things get me though; I find things like this so beyondly fascinating. These things make life full of wonder & mystery! I'm all about that life.

    I'm going to share the variety of joys & wonders of this beautiful, mysterious plant.

• Lucky Bamboo just needs the very basic care to thrive, which is marvelous (for a lot of people, that can't keep the simplest organism alive)

• Lucky Bamboo... isn't really Bamboo (unfortunately),it's part of the Lily Family (I like Lily's too, I'll accept that), because it's Dracaena Sanderiana - Dracaena's are part of this family, and are actually from West Africa

• They are dubbed their name because they look distinctly like Bamboo. The Chinese have associated Bamboo with good fortune, fortitude, and resilience.

• This plant is the perfect harmony of the five elements of Feng Shui coming together as one - Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, & Metal. The vertical stalks are Wood. The plant is placed in Water. Small coins or ornaments are used as the Metal. Rocks or Pebbles represent the Earth. Any shade of red that can be added stands for Fire.

• You can place this arrangement in your house, office, or any spot to keep positive energy flowing through the area and ridding of the negative energies; as Feng Shui insists.

• The legend of symbolizing is a as follows:
  - 2 stalks: Love
  - 3 stalks: Happiness (Fu [happiness]) (Lu [wealth]) (Soh [longevity])
  - 5 stalks: Wealth
  - 7 stalks: Wealth & Happiness
  - 8 stalks: Growth
  - 9 stalks: General Good Fortune
  - 10 stalks: Completion and Perfection
  - 21 stalks: Abundant Blessings

     I think these types of concepts and items are so necessary in life. Even if you are skeptical about the meanings and the serendipitous of it, what's the harm in maybe having good fortune, and happiness, or blessings? Plus it looks beautiful, and it having such a brilliant meaning, gives it that much more peregrine.  It's increasingly hard to try and put how much respect and magnificence I have towards things like this; really, it just brings happiness and wonder into my life, and I hope it does the same for you.

Lets hope it brings me enough luck to acquire more Lucky Bamboo in my future. 

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Sources:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/growing-lucky-bamboo

http://www.lucky-bamboo.org/lucky-bamboo-meaning.html

Sunshine, Suntans, & Sunburns

     As it's Spring now, and summer (thank God) is right around the corner and within our midst, we will all be exposed to lovely and virtuous rays of the sun. I, myself, cannot get enough of the supplemental rays and would bask in them, if I didn't be at the adverse health effects of our beloved rays. Adverse health effects? What? Ohhhh yeah; don't be fooled by the warmth and nice tans you may get - your Melanin that is produced by your Melanocytes in your body is accelerated, which in turn darkens your skin; resulting in the nice brown tan.

     There is a lot of controversy over tanning and the addictive habit of doing it. Now, hold on, in my opinion, people are getting way too skittish about the sun. Lets review for a second:

1. First off, we literally need the sun to live
2. The sun is the key ingredient in producing our body's vitamin D 
3. Soaking up the rays even releases Endorphins that make us happy (Last time I checked, being happy was a good thing)
4. & who doesn't like a nice tan?

     You're not going to burst into flames if you walk out in the bright, light and you won't get stage 4 cancer by laying out for a little while. Too much of anything, including good things, can be a bad thing. You can get burned, and develop a higher risk for cancer, but if you stay out for too long. People have put on sunscreen for a long time, to protect themselves from the UV rays, but it's being speculated that the chemicals in sunscreen can put more harmful effects on your body than the actual sun itself. I'm not saying this is a sure thing, but I wouldn't doubt it either, with the amount of harmful chemicals the world has that people use.

     Tanning beds have become very popular for people who want an even tan, and that can time how much exposure their getting. These beds have been very harmful as well. This is not real sunlight, it's man-made, so it is not the same, and could be even more dangerous. If you fall asleep, you could have severe burns. These should be cautioned very high. Granted, I won't be a hypocrit, I've used tanning beds before; but this was when I was naive to them too.

     The truth is, is that your body can only absorb so much Vitamin D, and after it soaks up more than enough, it starts to break the Vitamin down. If your skin is tarting to feel too hot, get into the shade or put cool water on it (not cold, COOL!). Just because you won't burst into flames, doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious and protect yourself.

Have a wonderful warm season!

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Be YOU, Be Happy.

     Now the usual agenda for someone is to go to grade school, high school, and then college, am I right? At least for most people anyways; besides the circumstances that may come along at one point or time. That was the plan for me though.

     Here I was, barely 18, and I was starting my collegiate career, in my first semester, and not knowing what I was in for. You hear the stories, you see the movies, and you have the ideas - but really what are you in for?

     We've grown up with the social pressures that come with the territory of schooling; trying be 'cool', wearing the latest trends, being 'fun' to others, being socially acceptable, & having all the other socially desirable traits that your peers like. Granted, there will always be those cruel individuals that won't hit puberty accurately as anyone else, and will continue to be jerks throughout their life and accumulate endless karma. However, after people go through their maturing stage in life, essentially we are all the same. Let me explain. Throughout grade school, we criticize each other based on our likes & dislikes, and everything in between; so much so, that we are accustomed to thinking people will always criticize us until the end of our days. This is the sad part! After the maturing stage does it's thing, we all will end up with our own quirky ways to eat things, we find our inner nerd, and we take to liking things, that in middle school, people may not have seen as acceptable. It's a whole different ball-game people!

     If your favorite character is Legolas from Lord of the Rings (Which he is) and the story of the Three Deathly Hollows in Harry Potter is the most amazing story in the entire world, and you are one that could consume cheese for breakfast, brunch, drunch, dinner, & second-dinner, SHOUT IT! 

     If you love the Petronas Charm so much you
have a tattoo of it, and you would rather just sit in your room and cuddle up with your chemistry book all day, and you would rather drink wine than most beverages for dinner, EMBRACE IT!

     If you eat your waffles in a geometrical fashion at all times, and you think it's just the most absolute amazing thing on Earth to see a minuscule seed grow into a mature plant with brilliant green leaves, and think that Shamrocks Shakes are something that the Gods made with their own hands, PROCLAIM IT!

     The amazing thing about the world we live in, is that every person is different and has their own unique qualities. We all should embrace our own nerdy, quirky, ridiculousness and proclaim it and shout it to the world. It's so liberating to do all the things you love to do in front of everyone else, without the fear of social backlash. By this point in life you know who you are, and you're not the only one that has embarrassing things they'd rather just ignore. If you put them out in the open, there's nothing that can make you feel embarrassed - you will literally become the badass of hysterical antics; and both you and everyone else will find you incredible. 

~Simply, be you and be happy~

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

The Wonderful World That Is Relay

Hey everyone!
     Sorry I haven't posted since the archaic times, but school has been kicking my butt; actually just chemistry is. It's incredibly interesting, but it's really hard, or maybe it's the professor trying to teach it. Pray that I actually pass this class!

     Anywhoozer, last morning to this morning (or Friday 10am-Saturday 10am), my campus had our biggest event of the year, as it's better known as, relay for Life. This event is so incredible beyond measure. Let me try and put this into words for you. This event is all about Cancer Awareness and raising money for Cancer. There are always tens of orgs that participate, including my own Nutrition org that I created this year! I was so proud to be able to participate and make a difference with the org that is just fresh off the block. This is a huge deal on our campus, and especially in the Greek Life here. Every year, it's basically a giant competition to see who can raise the most money, single-handily and as an organization as a whole. This makes me so happy, because we're all coming together for an important cause and nurturing healthy competition while doing it. This year, we had a couple people raise over a $1,000 by themselves, including Anneke Hoogenstryd (right) from Tri Sigma Sorority and Amir Baz (left) from Theta Chi Fraternity! Now, that is just too amazing for words right now - what a breath-taking feat! besides those special people, we had more than a few organizations raise in the thousands themselves. The Phi Sigma Sigma sorority are most known for their combined efforts, in my opinion. One of their members, Dani Champlin, has been passionate about this event ever since I came to the university. And of their other sisters, Erin Bovan, is also part of the awesome team that puts together Relay. That committee works effortlessly and passionately to make this event a success, whilst putting countless hours of their time into it. Every year is a major success, especially for our campus being small and it being a commuter school, as well. Without these ladies, and the other committee members, Relay would not be the same.

     Relay is the funnest 24 hours you will ever experience. From having mini-games every hour, on the hour to games people start playing themselves; basketball, lightning, soccer, frisbee, volleyball, and this year we also had BOUNCE HOUSES! Like, whaaattttt. You could play basketball in one, try and bungee to the end of another, or just chill in the traditional bounce house if you'd like. They were all fun to play with. Plus, we also yoga with our favorite yogi, the amazing and wonderful, Sharnee Mead. Now, in other related news, my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, and Theta Chi Fraternity usually have a head-shave fundraiser every year; and we also usually do it separately. However, this year, we combined the event and did it together. It made me smile a bit because I love Greek Unity at any level... and that a lot of them have close to no hair left; which surprisingly isn't too shabby on them. All of the above statements are great and all, but my absolute favorite aspect of Relay is the bonding that everyone experiences during this event. It brings everyone together for a common cause; especially my lovely Greeks. It's the happiest day for me when all of our Greek orgs mix it up and hang out together, where it doesn't matter what affiliation you're from, we're all just having a good time together. That's what drives my happiness - when all of my friends come together, and are happy together. This is why I love being a socialite, because you get to laugh with everyone from different organizations, backgrounds, different senses of humor, and different conversations. Because think about it, you're bringing people into your life as nothing different than a friend - everyone is the same to you, you don't treat anyone different, does that make sense? And when people hang out together, it takes that concept and makes it real life. On the opposite of that, it's when people stick to their own affiliations, and separates themselves from the other organizations. I don't want to really confuse you, but it's hard to explain in writing.

Segway - I really hate when I'm thinking of something or of a concept in my head, but it's more than impossible to explain in words. It makes me feel stupid and like, people can't follow me. -_-/=[

Continuing on, Relay is just a lively experience that you have take on yourself. It makes you feel so accomplished and proud, when you stay up for the whole 24 hours and when you reach your goal for fundraising, like Anneke or Amir did. It's definitely something you have to prepare yourself for. I woke up today with accumulated soreness that I haven't experienced since the last Relay; so much so, that i have barely got out of bed all day (not that I could anyways! =P). That my friends, is a sign of success. Another favorite part of mine, are the tens of picture that you take during the event, and that you see on Facebook the next morning. I love to do that myself, because after all, like I always say, each picture is a memory frozen in time.

P.S. - I will try to be more punctual on my postings from now on! Until the next post, my friends.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Yoga's hard?... What?!

     One of my best friend's, Sharnee (<-- Supposed to be an accent on the second "e"..), has been trying to get me to go do yoga with her for some time now; but I never get the time to go though. It's near Ann Arbor, MI, and I'm at least a good 45 minutes away; it's winter, and I don't want to risk my life; and it's on Sunday, which I have to get up early on Monday. This past weekend, Monday ended up being Martin Luther King day, so now was my chance!
     I get up at 7, meet Shar at 8:45, an we're off. I had a yoga mat, but I didn't have a towel, so she let me use her coral colored one.. I'm the luckiest guy, I know.. I sign in, and we sit down our mats and start stretching, or whatever routine anyone else has. I forgot to mention that this kind of yoga is called "Hot Yoga" and for good reason. they heat the room from 95-105 degrees.. and that's in winter, I can't imagine summer. Shar says it can be up to 120 degrees in summer.
     The instructor, Kellie, comes in and dims the lights, starts this calm music, and we start. By the way, this instructor has the best attitude about her, she's incredible. the first 10 minutes I'm starting to sweat. keep in mind, I never sweat during my workouts, my body recovers too quickly. Also, I've never done yoga before, so this was an intense start you could say.. I try and follow the poses of everyone else, and it's difficult because I've never done it before, but I get the hang of it a little. There are some people (like, my ridiculous friend) that look like they've been contortionists in their past life. I'm pretty sure I stooped what I was doing and just watched some people for a second. I'm over here struggling to just keep balance, and they're over there putting their heads behind their legs. Like. What.
     30 minutes in, my mat is not a mat anymore. It is now a 6 x 2 foot blue rag of sweat. I would step down, and the sweat would rise up from the mat. I would try and do a simple Warrior I pose, and even that was almost impossible because of my slip 'n' slide I was now fumbling on. I was sweating that bad. #thestrugglewasreal
     Then I hit a point where my muscles were shaking, my legs were barely holding me up, and I was fatigued beyond anything I could remember. The heat was finally hitting me to it's full extent. My head was a waterfall of sweat that was flowing into the ocean that was my body. It would get into my eyes and it would burn, so I had to keep pausing and wiping my eyes, to no avail.
     Now it was a hour in, and I wasn't worn out anymore - I was way past that. I felt like my body was slipping away from me; I was starting to get the funny feeling now - Passing out was beginning to be inevitable. Finally, Kellie says, "one more round", and I got the strength to hold on. My breathing was heavy and drawn out. At last, I could settle down and rest.
     The class was an hour and fifteen minutes long. 5 more and I would have passed out, I'm almost sure of it. We went into the beloved child's pose, and came back to our heart space. All of the people say some words in a different language, and then we all did the "stereotypical" ooohhhmmmmmm, and finish.
     All throughout the class, Kellie always kept people positive, and she spoke with a calm voice. She would come by and help people if they needed it, and if they were doing well, she let them know. She has a powerful personality, but not in the way people rule others, but in the way people stand by each other. She will pick you up if you fall, and she will give you that extra strength to hold on. The world needs more people like her, it surely would be a better place & a happier place. Even after the class was over, she came to me and told me I did very well for my first time, and offered me extra advice. She wasn't condescending or even sugar coating that I did bad - she was sincere about everything she said.

     I will most definitely do this again, once I get the time of course. Afterwards, we both went into Ann Arbor and got Gelato. It was magical, because we both have gone to Italy in the past year, and it tasted accurately to Italia. We both had a great time that day, and I can't wait to experience it all over again!

It's always good to try something new, even if it's your first and last time. Maybe it will better your health and understanding of the world, or give you a new perspective of the world around you. Always keep an open mind with what you do, and the reward will be always be happier in the end.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Knowledge Is The Root, Happiness Is The Fruit

     I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days now, I've been getting ready to go back to school, and working on my own Nutrition research. In honor of Academia and of the universities we all go to, I'm going to post about how incredible attaining knowledge is. The saying goes, 'Knowledge is Power'; and that couldn't be any closer to the truth. Think about it, how we're able to do anything that we can is because we know how to. If you want to get out of bed, walk around, or exercise, is all because you know how to do it. So many people nowadays take knowledge for granted! I mean, how ignorant can people be? You literally do anything you want if you know how to. But that's why our world is a mystery, now isn't it? Because we don't know everything, and it's human nature to find out everything we don't know, which results in a lifetime of mystery and exhaustion for attaining that knowledge.
     It's all the same with Nutrition. Nutrition has been important to people for thousands of years; because our body is only as good as what we put into it. Lately, however, laziness and self-loathing and greed has got in the way of all that. Which has resulted in epidemics and unhappiness. Everything we need is already on the planet on which we live, there's no need to 'make' anything new to help us have proper nutrition. We have 'superfoods', whole grains, water, fresh vegetables & fruits, lentils, nuts, & of course oxygen. We have everything already to live a happy, and healthy life. Best of all, it's one where we don't worry about health problems.
     The world is full of all the knowledge you need to ever do anything you want; especially, with the internet. We can read information on virtually anything we want, from anywhere in the world, in any language. That is so incredible. Everybody takes this all for granted, and doesn't put it to use! It makes me so freaking angry! This literally has virtually unlimited potential. Billions and billions, of pages, of information at our disposal - and most of it's even free. No matter what diet you wanted to look up, you could do it in seconds, and have full-scale review on it from a thousand different people. Or if you made up your own, and wanted to share it with others, you could make your own blog, of any sort, and share it with millions instantly - like I'm doing now.
     My favorite metaphor I came up with, is to think of knowledge being the root, and happiness ending up being your fruit. knowledge is the seed you plant, happiness is the fruit you pick.

I will be done ranting there, and in conclusion, I will share with you some of my recipes for smoothies and food.

4-Berry Smoothie

~ half the seeds of 1 Pomegranate

~ 2/3 of light vanilla yogurt (32oz)

~ Guessable sugar (3-5 Tbsp)

~ Cup of Milk (Guessable)

~ .83 lbs of Berry Explosion bag

Pumpkin Shake

~ 2 scoops vanilla icecream

~ 3 scoops Pumpkin Icecream

~ teaspoon of cinnamon

~ 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

~ cup of milk

~ 5 icecubes

Topped with:

~ 2 big & 1 small mint leaves

~ sprinkled cinnamon

Mediterranean Stir-Fry

~ Green bell peppers

~ Yellow bell peppers

~ Orange bell peppers

~ 1 sq Italian seasoning butter

~ Garlic Salt

~ Flax seed powder sprinkled

~ Tbsp Honey

~ Chicken Cubes

~ Green Onion scallions

~ 1 carrot

~ Potatoes

~ Extra Virgin Olive Oil

~ Tomatoes diced, add at end

Chicken & Baked Potato

~ 1 Chicken breast

Sauteed:

~ Green onion scallion

~ Snap peas

~ Green bell pepper

~ Extra virgin olive oil

~ Garlic salt

Potato wrapped in tin foil

Halved-open

~ Butter

~ Garlic Salt

~ Basil leaves or Parsley

Sprinkled with one lemon slice

All of these pictures correspond to each recipe. As you can see my two friends I made the stirfry for, really enjoyed it!

Remember, Knowledge is the seed you plant, happiness is the fruit you pick. Go out,and reap what you sow. Knowledge is absolutely everywhere, and not a bit of it will hurt you. Be educated in what you love and about the people around you, and you will be forever grateful for it.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Mission: Recovery

  As I'm in the middle of recovering from the fun and eventful night last night, I will first say HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!! How exciting! Every New Year is like a fresh start, each time. You have yet another chance to do better things than the year before. Rather it be doing charity work, dressing more sophisticated, focusing on academics harder, or more importantly, eating healthier. This is a fresh and clean slate to be a better you! This, of course, is where 'New Year's Resolutions' come in; and the hardest part is sticking to them, but you can do it if you put your mind to it! Don't give up because you slip up once, just get right back on track! I have faith in all of you!
     Now since it's a little after 3:30pm, I got up an hour ago, and I feel beyond exhausted; like, I'm struggling to keep my eyes open.. I decided to make something about recovering from these wild nights you may have in the future. You know, so you don't have to feel like death the morning after. Sound helpful? Okay, lets go.

     I'll give you a little background about me first. I'm 20 years old, my birthday is August 31st, and up until the July right before my birthday, I never drank at all (besides our family traditions, twice a year of a shot). I saw what alcohol did to people, the decisions they made, and the bad situations (usually) that they would get themselves in; so, I said I don't want to do that. I still hung out with people that drank, and went to parties still, I just didn't drink myself. Once more, I'm in a fraternity too, so that made people even more baffled. Nevertheless, I stood my ground, and said no to people that offered me any - and they respected that. 

Now, from June 18th - July 15th, I studied abroad in Italy. It was a beyond amazing time! I could go on and on about it! But more crucially to this, I went on a Tuscany Wine Tour. We went to various wineries in Tuscany, tasted different cheeses, meats, and, yup you guessed it, wine. You see, in Italia, drinking isn't like it is here. It's much more calm, people can control themselves, and more importantly, they don't drink just because. They're drinking with their culture - it represents family time, exchanging stories, and social gathering. This opened up my eyes to the whole concept, and has hanged my ways about drinking thus.

NOW FOR THE RECOVERY

• Through my first times of drinking, I've found that I know when to stop, and I can control my alcohol intake. I've also found that my Nutrition instincts kick in very quickly when I get near my point - A.K.A PSR (Point of Safe Return). When that point gets near, I start drinking lots of water. The morning after, I wake up fine, no headaches, no tiredness (from the alcohol) - it's amazing! I predict that drinking water before going to bed circulates the fluids in your body, so the junk isn't just sitting still overnight. The water starts refreshing your body through the night, so you wake up much better than you would otherwise.
• From this point on, you're going to want to AVOID  junk foods at all costs. You don't want to add to your already existing aches and problems. Eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables - the nutrients in them will do wonders, and you'll start feeling better exponentially. There are antioxidants (yup, those again) that will take care of all the toxins you've absorbed, along with the protein that will help your body recover as well. Stay AWAY  from the processed foods - pizza, chips, etc. Again, adding to the problem
• Lets say you get absolutely plastered, like many Americans did last night, and you're dying this morning. If you didn't drink water the night before, start being responsible now, and drink some before you consume anything else; it will flush out what's been sitting in your body.
• Something you can keep in mind while drinking, is to keep an eye on how much you drink in an hour. Typically, a shot or one beer per hour is ideal. However, I know much better than this, and I'm well aware that people won't abide by this rule perfectly; I'm not naive nor foolish. I'm just saying to realize how much you're drinking, and realize to slow down if you need to. That's part of self-control, and being mature about what you're partaking in.
• Something that you can do to make your body feel better is taking a hot bath. Baths are probably the 8th wonder of the world. They are so good for everything! They relax your muscles, calm your mind, and helps you focus, among other things. You can add essential oils or herbs to your bath to have even more enriching effects.
• I've talked about Vitamin Waters before for colds.. well, I don't know this from experience, but more than one person has told me that they also work for hangovers. I hear the same two (XXX and Recovery) work the best.
• A smart choice also might be to just lay low for the day, and not do anything too strenuous. Your body is working on processing the alcohol and any other toxins you consumed, don't make it's job even harder. Extra work isn't going to be extra help.
• Drinking tea is going to give your body various nutrients that will help you recover that much faster. It has antioxidants, calming effects, and it's warm as well.

  I hope these quick tips helped you guys. Follow them, and your recovery will be that much faster. I'm currently fighting myself to not go to the gym today, since it was closed yesterday. It's going to be tough. I hope you all had a great ending to your year & an amazing to start to your new one - I wish you all the best in your New Year!

 

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Labels, Labels, Labels

     One of the most common aspects you hear about being health conscious, is reading the labels on what you're eating. And if you're the casual American, you'll think "Egh, I don't really want to" or "I don't care to" or you plain just don't do it because it's a chore to you, or your lack of interest on the subject. Everybody knows this feeling I'm talking about; it's not one I can explain in words well. Labels though, why are people telling you all the time to read them all? Well, for one, it's on your food, the stuff you eat and consume. I mean, that's a pretty good reason right? Well, that's a very baseline reason - the common sense reason, if you will. There are more serious reasons that you should be aware of; like the one's that they would rather you not to know. Do I have your attention yet?

     Companies are forced by the FDA to provide labels about what's in their products. For example, when you eat cereal, you can look on the side of the box and look at the ingredients of the cereal. These ingredients are put in descending order of how much of that ingredient is in that product. If it's the first ingredient, then it's the most abundant ingredient and vice versa for the last ingredient. A lot of times, when people try and be 'health conscious', they'll look at the ingredients and won't be able to pronounce or know what a lot of them are; so they drop the subject and continue consuming it. That's where a lot of people go wrong! Don't people realize, that if you can't pronounce or are knowledgeable about what they're reading, it should send up red flags?! Or at least make you research what that item is. This should concern people to a high degree. Some people figure it's above what they should know, so they don't worry about it. That's not true, you should always know what you're consuming, or at least have an idea.

     These foreign items you can't read are more than likely Genetically Modified or commonly known as GMO's. The original, natural food has been tampered with in some way; maybe added to, taken from, or has chemicals in it. One of the most common chemicals now, that's in absolutely everything is MSG, or Monosodium Glutamate. Another is Aspartame, that's in my mother's beloved Diet Pop. Chemicals like these are extremely hazardous and toxic to your body, and should be cautioned. Personally, they should be banned. They have no benefits to them, and do nothing but harm your body in a multitude of ways (In which I will cover in their own posts).

     Companies definitely have "tricks of the Trade" however, and they can make their food seem harmless. One of these is the distribution of sugar between the ingredients. Sugar has a million different names, and tons of different compositions. A few are Sucrose (Table Sugar), Fructose (Fruit/Honey), and Dextrose (Corn Sugar/Grape Sugar). Some ingredients are High Fructose Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Refined Cane Sugar, Saccharine, Aspartame, to name just a few. Companies will add ingredients that have all have sugar in them; so "Sugar" isn't the first one on the ingredient label. A lot of times, they will put exotic or 'healthy' extracts, so they can put it on the face label and make their product seem beneficial to you. The truth is these are at the end of the list, meaning they have little to none of the ingredient. You're not going to benefit even a little bit from such a minuscule amount. For examples, Tocopherols, or Vitamin E, which is known to be powerful antioxidant is added to a lot of things. The front of the box will say "With Powerful antioxidants!" and people will flock to it, not knowing it's just a ploy. These 'better foods' are like a padding for the real hurt that's included in your morning breakfast. Companies will also 'hide' the bad ingredients, most of the time because people are uneducated about what they are. Nobody's going to see "Monosodium Glutamate" and think "Holy crap! I'm not going to eat this!!", they're going to say it's another chemical put in, and think nothing of it.

     A lot of chemicals put into food are preservatives, dyes, and hormones that are lethally toxic to your health. If people left the food alone, and in it's natural form, we wouldn't have to do anything to it, and we would get all the nutrients we need. On top of that, we wouldn't have all the horrible side-effects, health problems, and epidemics that exist now. Plus once more, eating right actually cures a lot of things. Why don't we do this? Because companies like Monsanto want to keep producing the addictive products that people consume daily, and making that cha-ching. People like them are taking the 'American Dream' and abusing it to the point where it shoves people in the ground. They are the makers of the dreaded "Aspartame" that's in Diet Pops and other items as a synthetic sweetener. All of these different chemicals and synthetic materials are incredibly toxic and cause such serious effects on your body. I could go on for years about how bad these chemicals and fake nutrients are! It really grinds my health nut gears.

   
     In future posts, I will explain these different chemicals, items on the labels like, Trans fats and Monounsaturated fats for example. I don't want to cram everything into one post, that's pointless, and my followers (if I have any) won't get anything from it.

     Read the labels that's on the food you consume, be educated about what you're reading,  and be aware of what is really going on in the world. Not everyone is out to do good, for everyone's benefit. Greed is a powerful force, and one that is hard to overcome. Don't be fooled by another's greed, spoil their mission, and make decisions for your own behalf. Don't be a sheep that follows the wolves, be a wolf that follows it's instincts.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian